Sydney goes from fires to floods

Violent storms caused localised flooding and damage to some homes to the north of Sydney [EPA]

Violent storms lashed parts of Queensland and New South Wales on Saturday, flooding some roads and causing damage to some homes. A spokesman for the New South Wales Emergency Service said that they received around 1,000 calls for help during the overnight period.

Just a few weeks ago, this area was battling against some of the worst bushfires in their history. The early fires have raised concerns that it is going to be a long and hard bushfire season, so the heavy downpours were by no means unwelcome.

The worst of the weather occurred along the northern coast of New South Wales and also around the northern suburbs of Sydney. Between 30 to 40mm of rain was recorded across the area during a 12 hour period submerging many roads.

Passengers at Sydney airport were also badly affected with dozens of flights cancelled overnight as the thunderstorms rumbled on. Elsewhere, rising waters in the Nepean River, west of the city, forced the rescue of five people.

The downpours were accompanied by some strong and gusty winds and the disturbed weather is expected to persist along the east coast for much of the coming week. The heaviest rain is expected between Sydney and Brisbane where some parts could see a further 100 to 150mm of rain over the next two or three days.